A Mother's Dilemma
by EmeraldWings1992
Summary: After the explosion in the courtroom that lands Apollo in the hospital, Thalassa Gramarye shows up. Phoenix refuses to let her in to visit unless she tells Apollo and Trucy the truth, but she won't. Angered by this, Phoenix finally gives her an ultimatum: tell them within two months, or he will. DONE
1. The Courtroom Bombing

A/N: Another day, another story! This would have went up yesterday, because I finished planning it around noon, but I got distracted watching a translation of The Great Turnabout on youtube.

And we all thought Phoenix had bad luck…

Well, here we go with this story! This one will be in first person, going between Apollo and Phoenix.

Well, ONWARD!

…

Chapter One – The Courtroom Bombing

 _Apollo_

 **The Trial of Solomon Starbuck**

It had been a long morning, with yesterday being just as long.

But finally, _finally_ it looked like this trial was started to turn in my favor.

"It seems we'll have to hear the testimony of these first two people on the scene," the Judge conceded to my point. I smirked, crossing my arms.

 _Score!_

"Come to think of it, Detective Arme should be here in court right now," the judge continued. I quickly glanced down at my notes, shuffling through the papers to find the profiles of the people connected to the case. Candice Arme is a police detective specializing in bomb disposal and one of the first on the scene of the crime. As a police detective, her testimony would hopefully be more trustworthy then most witnesses.

I glanced over at Detective Fulbright, remembering the other times Athena or I had to cross-examine him.

Hopefully.

"Bailiff," the Judge looked over at the man standing next to the Judge's stand. "Could you please show Detective Arme to the stand?" The officer nodded, and stepped away from the stand, heading towards the door.

" _Hold it!_ " a voice yelled from the gallery. Everyone looked over to see a man, dressed kind of like an officer, but like an alien at the same time, run over, jumping over the low wall separating the gallery from the rest of the room, and standing at the witness stand. As always, Prosecutor Blackquill was unruffled. Looking at the man closer, I recognized him as the other bomb specialist, Ted Tonate.

"I-I have an announcement, everyone!" he called. His voice was overtly calm, but it was clear something was wrong.

"Wh-what's the meaning of this? We're in the middle of a trial here!" the Judge demanded.

"P-please remain calm and listen carefully," Tonate said, before motioning to the odd stuffed animal that contained the bomb, the evidence. "Someone has reactivated the bomb! The bomb was diffused, but, but, but…" his voice seemed to fail him for a minute, but he found it quickly again. "I-it's about to explode!"

"Ex-EXPLODE!?" the Judge, Athena, and I exclaimed, all at the same time. Despite Tonate's warning to remain calm, the gallery erupted into chaos, everyone talking at the same time.

I, however, was furious. "A bomb? Now?!" I demanded. This trial was too important to interrupt! Someone bombed the Space Station, my best friend was murdered, a man I highly respected was on trial for it, I finally have an advantage to press, and someone picks _now_ to bomb the courtroom!?

"Aaaagh! Everybody run!"

"Eeeeek! I don't want to die!"

"Oh, no!" Athena gasped. "Everybody's panicking!"

" _SILENCE!_ " Blackquill suddenly snapped. Surprisingly, everyone fell quiet. He slammed his fists down on the desk. "Headless chickens with a death wish, the lot of you! Calm yourselves afore all else!" he said. Athena, on the other hand, turned to me.

"C'mon, Apollo! Let's get out of here!"

I clenched my firsts on the top of the table, anger coursing through me. "But what about Mr. Starbuck's dream? And who will carry out Clay's final wish?" I slammed my fists down. "I don't care what happens to me! I'm not letting some bomb blow the truth up forever! I… I…" A picture flashed before my eyes. It was of Clay and me, just after he graduated from space training. We had an arm around each other. He was wearing the jacket that was part of the Space Station's uniform, something he got when he graduated, and something he always wanted. I closed my eyes for a minute before pointing forward. "I refuse to let things end here!"

"Apollo, this is not time to be dramatic!" Athena yelled at me, and I had to work to keep the scowl off my face. "If we don't get out of here now, we're gonna die!" She grabbed my arm, dragging me behind. "C'MON! THIS WAY!"

"Hey! Ouch! Let me go!" I yelled at her. In the chaos, I managed to get my arm free. Court had already fallen apart. I couldn't do anything. Mr. Starbuck's dream… Clay's wish… the truth would be lost…

"Apollo!" a frantic voice yelled just as I took a step towards the door. I turned and spotted Athena's friend.

"J-Juniper?" I gasped. _She hasn't evacuated yet?_

She began to run over to us, but tripped, falling to the ground. "Eeeeek!"

"J-Juniper!" I called, starting towards her. "Are you all right?!"

"Apollo! No! Not that way!" Athena yelled after me. I ignored her. She must not have seen Juniper.

 _ **BOOOOOM!**_

The explosion made me stumble. I don't know how I managed to catch myself. Guess the shockwave didn't hit me yet. Juniper, on the other hand, was still on the ground where she fell. She looked up, and screamed when seeing debris falling towards her.

Without thinking, I dove forward, protecting her with my own body, protecting my head and neck with my arms. The rocks and debris slammed into my back and arms. The shockwave slammed into me. Fire licked at my arms.

It was too much.

I couldn't handle it.

I screamed in pain and blacked out.

…

A/N: And here we are. This is what happened in the game (with me adding more to Apollo's feelings that is visible in his poses), setting up the rest of the story.

Poor Polly…


	2. Thalassa

A/N: Onto chapter two!

…

Chapter Two – Thalassa

 _Phoenix_

 **The Hospital – Two Hours Later**

I couldn't believe it. Even in this Dark Age of the Law, it was unfathomable to think that someone would bomb a courtroom, especially one full of people. I hadn't been in court today. I was meeting with an old friend, instead. But I knew Apollo could pull off this case, even if it was the murder trial of his closest friend. And even if something had been bothering him since yesterday.

But it was Apollo. Under that fiery, passionate, hot-headedness of his, he was smart. Very smart. And it only made sense that Athena would be his co-counsel. She needed the experience, and her and Apollo made a brilliant team the last two cases those two had worked together.

But now, Apollo was in the hospital, laying behind those doors somewhere, as the doctors tried to stabilize him and assess the extent of his injuries.

Athena said he didn't want to leave, even after the warning, and that she had to drag him out, but he got away from her and ran back in.

 _Why, Apollo? Why'd you let your emotions get the better of you this time?_

Trucy came over, wrapping her arms around one of mine and stopping my pacing.

"Daddy, are you okay?" she asked. I looked down into her worried face and smiled weakly.

"I'm okay, Trucy," I confirmed. She nodded and gently tugged me over to where she had been sitting with Athena.

"Okay. Sit with us?"

"Alright."

I allowed myself to be pulled into the chair, and wrapped an arm around my daughter. That's when it struck me.

Trucy and Apollo still didn't know they were half-siblings.

"Excuse me," an older voice said from above us. We all looked up.

"Mr. Cosmos!" Athena said in surprise.

"Who?" Trucy asked.

"He's the Director of the Space Center where the murder took place," Athena explained before turning to the older man. I couldn't help but notice that he was riding a scooter thing. In a hospital.

"The police just released Clay's jacket back to me since it doesn't have anything to do with his murder," Cosmos said, holding up the blue jacket. "We usually give these to the family of the deceased, but… well, Mr. Justice is the closest to family Clay had."

"Oh," I said, standing again and taking the jacket. "Thank you, Mr. Cosmos. Apollo will greatly appreciate this."

"You're welcome," he said, before scootering his way out of the waiting room. I sat back down, the jacket draped across my knees. The closest Clay had to family was Apollo. As far as Apollo probably thinks, Clay was probably the closest thing he had to family too.

And now, like the rest of his family, Clay was taken away from him too.

But he doesn't know about Trucy or Thalassa, his sister and mother. I gripped the jacket in my lap with a frown. I guess it makes sense as to why Apollo let his emotions get the better of him. I couldn't imagine the pain, emotionally, he was going through.

"Is he a witness?" Trucy asked, leaning around me to look at Athena and motioning to the man who just left. Athena nodded.

"Yeah. He was one of the first to discover Clay's body," she explained.

"Ah."

Just then, a doctor came out and looked around. "Are you guys here for Mr. Justice?" he asked. I stood yet again.

"Yes. Is he okay?" I demanded. The doctor nodded.

"Yes. We have him stabilized, but he took on some pretty severe bruising all over his back, and second degree burns on his arms when he got caught in that explosion. He will survive and recover, but he's going to need a lot of bed rest," the man explained. I relaxed, and heard sighs of relief from the girls behind me as well.

"Can we go see him?" Trucy demanded. The doctor smiled.

"He's not awake yet, but sure," he said, leading the three of us. I turned, glancing at the seats to make sure we had everything, when someone caught my eye.

Thalassa Gramarye, wearing a simple white dress and that familiar, large bracelet. She had a frantic look on her face as she searched the room.

"Go on ahead," I told the others. "I'll be there soon."

"Well, okay," they said. I waited until they were gone before going over to the woman, crossing my arms.

"Mrs. Gramarye," I said. I don't know if it was my realization at the emotional pain Apollo is going through, or the protectiveness I felt over Trucy and Apollo, or both, but I was suddenly very angry at the woman in front of me.

"Mr. Wright!" she gasped. "I came as soon as I heard. Apollo, is he okay?" she demanded.

"He's okay. Injured, but he'll recover."

"I want to see him." Thalassa went to follow Trucy, Athena, and the doctor back into the room, but I sidestepped into her path. "What are you…?"

"A year."

"What?"

"It's been a year since your memories came back, Thalassa. You said you'd tell Trucy and Apollo, and it's been a year, but you haven't. Why?" I demanded.

"I just… there hasn't been a good time," she said.

"So you think now is?"

"No! I just… my son is injured. I want to see him," Thalassa said, her blue eyes widening.

"Don't you think he and Trucy might question as to why the famous Borginian singer they met once during a case is now visiting him in the hospital?" I pointed out. Thalassa bit her lip before looking up at me.

"Then I'll tell them today."

"Out of the question," I replied. Thalassa looked at me, now thoroughly confused. I continued before she could say anything. "Apollo has thought that his mother was dead for most of his life, Thalassa. And now, the trial he was in was for the murder of his best friend and the only family he had for years. As far as he's concerned now, he has no family left."

"But he does! Me and Trucy," Thalassa objected.

"You're right. He does. _But he doesn't know this!_ " I pointed out. "So if you come in, and tell him you're his mother, with the emotional state he's in now, the fact that you abandoned him is all that'll stick in his mind, not that you abandoned him because your father made you," I finished. Thalassa's eyes widened at this, and she looked away.

"I didn't abandon-"

"Yes, you did." I took a deep breath to calm myself and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Just give it two weeks. Once Clay's killer is caught, Apollo will be able to find closure and will be able to grieve him properly. Then tell them."

I dropped my hand and turned, heading towards the door, before realizing something. "But Thalassa?" I turned.

"Yes?" she asked, looking up.

"I'm not going to let this go on for another year. If you don't tell them within the next two months, I will."

Without waiting for a reply, I walked into back, quickly finding Apollo's room, where he still slept. His usually gel-filled hair was messy. I could see bandages peeking out from under the hospital gown at his neck, and his arms, hands, and fingers were covered in bandages, no doubt to protect the burns. He also had a bandage covering his right eye, but he had had that before the explosion.

Sitting on his nightstand was the bracelet that matched the one Thalassa wore. Athena and Trucy sat in chairs at the side of his bed. Both looked up when I walked in.

"Everything okay, Boss?" Athena asked. I nodded, walking over to the bed and spreading Clay's jacket over Apollo like a second blanket, looking down at the young man's face. I hadn't realized before, but in the year that Apollo's been working for the Wright Anything Agency, I'd come to see him the same way I saw Trucy, even if he hated me in the beginning.

"Everything's fine, Athena," I said softly, pulling up a third chair to the side of Apollo's bed, wrapping an arm around Trucy. "Just fine."

…

A/N: Aaaaaaaand… as we all know, Apollo's up the next morning to defend Juniper Woods (even if he passes out before the trial even starts).

Well, will Thalassa tell them or will Phoenix have to? Who knows!

I guess it's always kind of bothered me that Thalassa basically abandoned Apollo. I know it was probably because Magnifi made her, and he was a straight up ass, but it still bothers me. And I feel like it would bother Phoenix too, once he had time to actually think about it (and once his morals weren't as loose as they were in Apollo Justice).

Also, I seriously feel like Phoenix has some paternal feelings towards Apollo…


	3. The Invitation

A/N: Here's another chapter!

Wonder how many people will get the references in the beginning of Apollo's latest trial?

…

Chapter Three – The Invitation

 _Apollo_

 **Two Months Later**

Another day, another case. Today was the last day for the trial of Alice Wasikowska, accused of strangling her rich aunt with the chain of a pocket watch for the inheritance.

Today, I proved that it was actually the butler, Conejo Blanco. There wasn't another case, so Mr. Wright let us go home early once I finished the paperwork. I walked into my apartment building, stopping by the mailboxes. Mine was full of bills, per usual.

 _I really needed to talk to Mr. Wright about this pro bono thing_ , I thought as I walked up the stairs to the third floor. You'd think, being a single guy living in a cheap studio apartment, my bills would be pretty cheap.

Unfortunately, I was a single guy, living in a _relatively_ cheap studio apartment, in _Los Angeles, California_ , AKA Highest Living Expenses, USA. And I usually worked pro bono.

I unlocked the door and stepped inside, tossing the letters and my keys onto the table and going into small kitchen area, grabbing a bottle of water. Turning, I smiled slightly at the framed jacket hanging over my couch/bed.

It was Clay's Space Station jacket.

With a deep sigh, I turned back to my pile of bills. Beneath the five white envelopes from various utility companies, though, there was a dark blue one, with silvery dots, like stars. I pulled that one out first, and was surprised by the return address. I then quickly ripped it open, pulling out the letter within.

 _Dear Mr. Justice,_

 _I know it has been about a year since that fateful case, but I will be in California once again._

 _As a thank you for clearing the name of Machi Tobaye, I would like to extend an invitation to you, Trucy Wright, and Mr. Wright to my next concert._

 _I would be honored to see you next week._

 _Best wishes,_

 _Lamiroir._

I grinned, resting back against the chair and picking up the envelope again. Despite all the misfortune that had befallen Klavier Gavin that night, and the murder that had happened during/right after, seeing Lamiroir in concert had been magical (and not just because of the magic trick).

Reaching into the envelope, I found three tickets. Three _VIP_ tickets _._

"I can't wait to tell Trucy," I said with a huge grin.

…

"Hey Trucy," I said, catching the young magician as she headed out for school from the office. She stopped with a grin.

"Hey Apollo! Are you going to come to my show tonight?" she asked.

"Depends." I said, before grinning, barely containing my excitement. "Remember the Tobaye case?"

"How could I forget!" she said excitedly, bouncing up and down slightly. My grin widened.

"Lamiroir sent us VIP tickets as thanks!" I said. Her face lit up.

"When!?"

"Next week! On Friday," I said. Her face lit up even more.

"Great! Well, I have to get to school," she said, running off.

Even happier, I entered the office building and got to the Wright Anything Agency. Athena was off on a different case that she had picked up while I was working the Wasikowska case, so it was just Mr. Wright in the office. Perfect.

"Morning, Apollo," Mr. Wright said, looking up.

"Morning!" I said brightly, plopping my bag on my desk.

"Well, you're chipper. What's going on?" Mr. Wright asked, standing and putting a book on the shelf behind him. I smiled.

"Got some mail yesterday. Oh, by the way Mr. Wright? We really have to talk about this pro bono thing," I said. "But that's besides the point. I got a letter from Lamiroir."

"Oh?" Mr. Wright turned, and my bracelet reacted slightly. I didn't see any tells though, so I ignored it. Maybe he felt bad or uncomfortable or something for that time in his life…

"Yeah. She sent three VIP concert tickets! One each for me, you, and Trucy," I explained.

"Oh, great," Mr. Wright said with a small smile, turning and taking another book from the shelf. He then say behind his desk again and began reading again.

…

A/N: And another chapter done! The next will be the big reveal!


	4. the Concert

A/N: Hey guys! Sorry I didn't write yesterday! I was running around with my mom, then playing video games…

SPEAKING of which, as a sign I love my readers, and because I need somewhere to rant, I shall tell you my woes. (If you don't care, and honestly I won't be offended, go ahead and skip to the chapter).

I didn't have an Xbox for the longest time. I don't like _most_ of the Xbox exclusive games, and I've heard those systems have a lot of hardware issues (I can fix software, but forget hardware). I've always been primarily a PlayStation girl with Nintendo close in second (though looking at my stories, you'd think it'd be the other way around…)

But, in November, I finally decided to ask for an Xbox 360 for my birthday (would have bought my own if I wasn't a poor college student) because a few games on that system do look fun and I should be a well rounded gamer. After all, I plan on going into the video game industry as a writer/designer. So my mom and sister pitched in to buy me one. Yay! Happy Birthday to me! They had it sent to school, and I played it once to make sure it worked, then put it away.

Fast forward to last night, I got _Assassin's Creed: Rogue_ for the 360, and decide to play it. I pulled it out of the box, set it up with the HDMI cable that came with it and…

It didn't work. My TV kept saying "No Signal". Thinking it was the wire, I tried the one I use with my PS3. Same thing. I tested the wire that came with the 360 on my PS3, and it DID work. So it's definitely the system.

Now, my mom's next day off, Friday, I have to go to GameStop (where they got it), and _hope_ it won't be too late for them to fix/replace it for me for free. Like I said, I'm poor.

And people wonder why I was so harsh on the Xbox 360…

Alright, sorry for that. Now, onto the second to last chapter!

…

Chapter Four – The Concert

 _Phoenix_

 **The Concert**

The concert hall was large, packed to capacity. I settled more into my seat, seriously surprised that Apollo was into this kind of music. I knew Trucy used Lamiroir's music for her stage show all the time, but Apollo?

The Gavinners concert made more sense then this.

Apollo and Trucy were talking excitedly about the concert, but I was deep in thought.

There was only one reason why Thalassa would have sent those tickets.

Grant it, previous defendants have done favors for me and the others, but she hadn't been the defendant. Machi Tobaye had been.

"Wait until you hear her music live, Daddy!" Trucy said, leaning against my arm. I smiled at her.

"Can't wait," I said, ignoring the confused look Apollo threw at me. I noticed him touch his bracelet, but knew I couldn't hid my unconscious tells.

Truth be told, I was nervous. I knew what I told Thalassa two months ago, but Trucy was my little girl. I didn't want her to feel like she was abandoned by her mother. Hopefully, because of the circumstances surrounding that, she'll understand.

Apollo, on the other hand…

Thalassa had abandoned Apollo after his father died, just because Magnifi Gramarye wouldn't take her back into the troupe along with Apollo. It was for this reason that he grew up in an orphanage, with none of the love of a family. His reaction, as of this moment, was unpredictable.

Just then, the lights went out. Everyone immediately fell quiet, and the anticipation in the air spiked.

The lights on stage came on, and in the middle stood Lamiroir, clothed in the dark blue, star studded robe and white dress. She lifted the microphone to her mouth and began to sing, and I couldn't help but let out a soft sigh. Trucy was right. Hearing Lamiroir live was breath taking.

…

The VIP tickets Thalassa had sent to Apollo included backstage passes after the concert. Once the concert was over, we had to move against the crowd to get over to where the door to back stage was. I couldn't help but notice, however, after that last song, a hauntingly beautiful lullaby, both Apollo and Trucy seemed to be in a trance.

"That song wasn't on any of her albums," Trucy mumbled.

"And she didn't sing it last time we saw her live, did she?" Apollo mused.

"But it sounded familiar, didn't it? Almost like from a dream," Trucy sighed.

"Yeah…" Apollo agreed.

"Come on, you two, before she gets tired of waiting," I said, wrapping my arms around the both of them and steering them forward. Both snapped out of it as we walked past security, showing our passes, and were lead to Lamiroir's dressing room.

Trucy knocked excitedly.

"Come in!" called a voice from inside, prompting us to enter.

Thalassa was still in her stage costume. Her eyes locked on mine for a moment above the veil, before she stood, coming over.

"Mr. Justice! Trucy! Welcome," she said warmly.

"Hi, Lamiroir!" Trucy said brightly. Apollo, on the other hand, studied her eyes.

"You got the operation? You can see?" he asked. Lamiroir nodded.

"Yes. Your performance a year ago in court gave me the confidence to," she said. Apollo blushed slightly, rubbing the top of his head. Trucy, on the other hand, bounced up and down.

"That's great!" she said. Lamiroir chuckled at her energy before reaching up and pulling the veil and hood off, revealing her light brown hair and slim face. I noticed that she was careful to hide her right wrist, the one holding the bracelet that matched Apollo's.

"Thanks for the ticket, Lamiroir," Apollo said with a warm smile. She smiled back.

"You're welcome, Mr. Justice."

"Please, just call me Apollo," he said. Thalassa's face lit up into an even warmer smile, and I knew he just made her day.

 _How long will that last?_ I thought to myself, leaning against the wall and looking at Apollo. Lamiroir sat on the couch, motioning for those two to sit as well. Trucy sat on the couch next to Thalassa, while Apollo sat in a chair across from them.

"It wasn't just to thank you," she began, talking about the tickets. "I actually needed to talk to you." She turned to Trucy first.

"When I regained my sight, I also regained my memories," Thalassa said. She'd obviously rehearsed this.

"That's great!" Trucy said excitedly, although Lamiroir just nodded.

"That includes who I was before I became the singer that everyone knows today. My life before a certain accident that robbed me of my sight and memories, my name, my family…" she glanced at Apollo before looking back at Trucy with soft, tender eyes. "And my children."

"You're a mother?" Trucy asked softly.

"You're real name… it's Thalassa, isn't it?" Apollo suddenly asked. I stiffened, studying Trucy, hoping beyond hope that she'll take this okay. Thalassa looked over at the young man and nodded.

"Wait… Thalassa… Thalassa Gramarye?" Trucy asked, her voice barely louder then a whisper. Thalassa nodded once more as she turned back to Trucy, her soft eyes filling with tears.

"Yes, Trucy. My sweet, sweet baby Trucy," the woman said.

"Mommy…" Trucy muttered, before flinging her arms around the woman. I relaxed at that, smiling warmly. After all, Trucy needed a mother, and she was always asking me about one. She might not have been serious, but I was happy she finally had one, all the same.

"I'm so sorry… I'm sorry I wasn't there for you, through everything," Thalassa murmured into Trucy's hair, having taken the silk hat off. Trucy shook her head.

"It wasn't your fault… the accident… you didn't ask…" Trucy said, her voice muffled since she was talking into Thalassa's robe. Thalassa just hugged her tighter.

I glanced over at Apollo, noticing his discomfort. He must feel out of place. After all, he doesn't know about his own connection to all of this yet. I caught his eye, just as he went to stand, and shook my head slightly. True, I probably only added to his confusion, but he stayed put all the same.

Finally, the two women pulled apart, and Thalassa turned to look at Apollo.

"There's… something you should know too, Apollo," she said. It was clear to see how soft she said his name surprised him.

"About twenty-three years ago, when I was eighteen, I left Troupe Gramarye and married another stage magician. His name was Zeus, and we had a little boy. Zeus died in a tragic stage accident, and I… I returned to the Troupe…" she explained, her voice full of regret.

"What… what happened to your son?" Apollo asked, the slightest apprehension in his voice. From the corner of my eye, I could see confusion, then understanding dawn on Trucy's face. She turned to look at me, but I kept my expression blank and my hands still.

After all, Trucy also had the Gramarye gift of Perception.

"My father never approved of my first marriage. He forced me to give… my son up for adoption in order to return…"

Apollo's right hand suddenly grabbed his left wrist, his bracelet, and his iris's flickered to red, locking on the woman's hands. It was then that I noticed her movements mirrored his; her right hand touching her left wrist where her second bracelet used to sit, the one that was now probably tight around Apollo's left wrist. What's more, her robe had pulled up slightly, and the slightest glint of gold from her bracelet was visible.

A cluster of emotions covered Apollo's face. Anger, longing, denial, disbelief, fear, sadness, and a whole slew of other emotions. Then his face went blank, something I found more alarming then the battling emotions.

"You abandoned me… because of your father?" Apollo demanded in a soft voice, shooting to his feet. "Because you wanted back in with the Troupe?" His voice rose slightly.

"Apollo…" Thalassa said, standing as well. She reached for the young man, but Apollo stepped back, his entire body trembling. He looked away, putting a hand to his head.

"I… I need air… time to think…" he mumbled, stumbling the first few steps towards the door before running out. I let him go, stepping out of the way.

Trucy looked between the devastated Thalassa, the door, and me.

"Apollo will be okay… right Daddy?" she finally asked.

"Yeah, kiddo. He just… needs time to think." I looked up at Thalassa. "We knew this wasn't going to be easy for him…"

…

A/N: So yeah, Apollo had a bad reaction (for now) but think about it this way. You spent the last twenty-two years an orphan, only to find out your mom was alive the entire time, but gave you up because of her own father didn't approve...

I'd be a little angry too.

Also, Apollo's biological father is named Zeus Justice (anyone see what I did there? Huh? Huuuuh?)

Thinking about a fanfic of Zeus's and Thalassa's whirlwind romance. Not sure though, heh.

One more chapter to resolve everything, promise!


	5. Mother

A/N: Last chapter, finally! Poor Apollo.

Well, here we go! No ranting today, haha.

…

Chapter Five – Mother

 _Apollo_

 **Outside of Sunshine Coliseum**

My legs finally gave out once I reached the side of the building, and I fell to my hands and knees. I was trembling all over, and more emotions then I knew I was capable of feeling coursed through me.

Lamiroir was my mother. _Thalassa_ was my mother.

My father died in a tragic stage accident. I shivered harder at this fact.

Thalassa gave me up, so she could rejoin her father's… my _grandfather's_ troupe. He didn't approve of me.

He didn't want me…

My eyes fell on my bracelet, the lines blurred by angry, frustrated, sad tears in my eyes.

Every kid who grows up in an orphanage believes that their real parents will one day come back for them. That their real parents are alive, and kind, and rich, and happy, and that it was just some cosmic mistake that they winded up in the orphanage. I was no different. My bracelet only fueled those beliefs in me, and a tiny part of me hoped, naively, perhaps, that even after I turned eighteen and was kicked out of the orphanage, that this bracelet would lead me to my real parents.

Well, it did.

And I didn't want it. I didn't want that connection. Not to Zak and Valant Gramarye, not to Magnifi Gramarye, and _definitely_ not to Thalassa!

I ripped the bracelet off and threw it has hard as I could before switching positions so that I was sitting, burying my face in my knees. I didn't want to think. I wanted to shut my thoughts off.

However hard I tried, though, the worst memories of the time I spent in the orphanage drifted to mind.

Finally, one memory, a good one, struck, and I clung to it.

 _It was night, and I was back in middle school. Just after dinner, I decided to go outside for some fresh air, where I found a guy, around my age, crying. I went and sat next to him. He was new, having just arrived there this morning._

" _Hi…" I said. The boy jumped looking up at me in surprise and hastily trying to wipe his tears. They kept coming though. "You're name's Clay, right? Clay Terran?"_

" _Yeah," he mumbled looking down again. I looked at him for a moment, wanting to comfort him._

" _What's wrong?" I knew that was the wrong question to ask a new arrival at an orphanage, but the words were out of my mouth before I even thought about it._

" _M-My…" he hiccupped. "My mother died…" More tears streamed down his face, and he quickly tried to wipe them away. I fell quiet for a minute, resting back on my hands, thinking. I knew what it was like, the pain of not having a mother. I also knew how easy it was to drown in that pain and despair._

" _You now what I do when I'm sad, to cheer myself up?" I said. Clay looked up at me, surprised. "I stand tall and yell, 'I'm Apollo Justice and I'm fine!' You should try it."_

" _I don't know… feels a little goofy," Clay admitted. I grinned._

" _It's just us out here! Look, I'll go first." I jumped to my feet, took a deep breath and yelled, "I'm Apollo Justice and I'm fine!"_

 _My voice echoed hollowly around the courtyard. After another moment's hesitation, Clay stood as well, took a deep breath, and yelled "I'm Clay Terran and I'm fine!"_

 _We took turns doing this until the both of us were laughing hard at ourselves. I was pretty triumphant too, seeing the smile on Clay's face_.

I finally unfolded myself, slowly standing. Even in death, Clay knew exactly what to say to me. Taking a deep breath, I yelled "I'm Apollo Justice and I'm fine!"

People who walked past the small side street I was down looked in curiously, or in alarm, but I didn't care. I kept yelling this, over and over, until the knot in my chest loosened and the emotions calmed.

I then realized something else Clay would tell me, if he were here.

Thalassa was my mother. My mother was _alive_ , and that in itself is something I should be grateful for. I should also hear her out. Maybe there was a better reason then just because of Magnifi.

With a deep sigh, I looked around for the bracelet.

"Looking for something?"

I jumped slightly at the voice and looked up, finding Mr. Wright leaning against the wall.

"You followed me?" I asked.

"I came to find you when it started to get late," he replied. Confused, I pulled out my phone and looked at the time.

The concert ended at nine. It was now going on eleven-thirty.

"Oh," I mumbled. He came closer, looking at me in concern.

"Are you okay?" he asked. I shook my head.

"I don't know. I… I should hear her out…"

"Yes. You should. You should also not throw this anymore." He held up the bracelet. With the weakest, sheepish smile, I took it.

"Thanks," I mumbled, slipping it into my pocket. Mr. Wright wrapped an arm around me.

"Common, let's get back."

Thalassa and Trucy were still sitting on the couch when we returned to the room. Both looked up as we entered. Instead of sitting, I crossed my arms.

"Why?" I demanded.

"Why what?" Thalassa asked.

"Why did you give me up, just to rejoin that group? Why didn't you go solo or something?"

"I…" Thalassa sighed. "Giving you up, Apollo, was the hardest thing I'd ever done, but at the time, I had no choice. When your father passed away… I had no means to support the both of us. I tried, but… I couldn't find a job that paid enough to be able to afford the bills… and to feed you. I tried, but… we both went hungry for a while."

"So, finally, I asked my father if I could come back to the Troupe. He allowed it… on one condition. I put you up for adoption. I argued, but he wouldn't hear of it. It came down to the choice of keeping you, but you starving… or giving you up for adoption, where you'll be properly fed and cared for. I did… only what I thought was best for you…" she explained. I looked down, thinking about all of that. Even without my bracelet on, I could see that she didn't have any nervous tells.

She was telling the truth.

"So it was all Magnifi's fault…" I finally said. She hesitated before nodding.

"Yes. It seems all the misfortune that befell the Troupe was… my father's fault…"

Silence reigned for a few minutes before I finally pulled out the bracelet, putting it back on.

"So… I'm a Gramarye…" I muttered.

"Yes." Thalassa stood, coming over and putting a hand on my cheek. "But you're also a Justice."

"Right…" I looked up at her, my anger finally fading away. "It's nice to finally meet you," I smiled, my vision blurring slightly with tears. "Mom."

…

A/N: And here we come to the conclusion of this tale. Apollo and Trucy are currently pissed at Magnifi, buuuuut… there's not much they can do since he's dead.

Well, thank you all for reading! I don't know if I'll do another story this break or not. Sorry!


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